Vintage may vary without notice.
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Brunello di Montalcino
Gavioli
Full bodied red, very pure but subdued nose hints at raspberry, high-pitched spices and blood orange. Tactile, suave and deep, with ripe but firm raspberry and cherry fruit flavors complemented by saline minerality, leather and a strong floral quality that mounts inexorably on the back end. Really resounds on the aromatic aftertaste.
Vintage ’01
Vintage ’03
Vintage ’07
Vintage ’09
Vintage’10
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Brunello di Montalcino
LaMannella
Light to medium ruby in color, this wine smells of sandalwood, nutmeg, cherries and dried flowers. In the mouth velvet tannins regally present a precious sculpture of cherry and sandalwood flavors etched with gorgeous acidity. The wine has a wonderful silky weight in the mouth and flows effortlessly across the palate, almost leaving a dreamlike feeling in its wake. Exceptional balance and poise.
Vintage ’97
Vintage ’99
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Brunello di Montalcino
Biondi – Santi
96 points and a Cellar Selection from the Wine Enthusiast: “Immediately, you know you are before a great Brunello with bright fruit aromas backed by forest floor, balsam notes, bramble, blue flowers, red apple and mint. The presence of wood is all but invisible and the wine sings true to its territory and tradition. The wine’s natural acidity and intensity promise a long and glorious aging future before it.” (3/1/2008) 94 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: “Biondi-Santi’s 2001 Brunello di Montalcino is just as terrific in bottle as it was when I tasted it from cask last year. A dark, translucent red, it reveals superb freshness in its aromatics, with notes of small red fruits, spices, flowers, mint and anise that you could get lost in. It is perhaps less rewarding on the palate today, but its class is amply evident in the purity of its fruit and silkiness of its tannins. This is a wine built for tertiary development that will occur over the following years and decades. Readers who appreciate classically built, age-worthy wines and have the time to wait will find much to admire. In the meantime, this Brunello is all about potential, and there is plenty of that here. It is a great effort. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2041.” (10/07) 94 points Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jun 07: “Paradigmatic old-school Brunello but with a degree of flesh and concentration not always apparent here in recent vintages…this one will be around longer than you or I will.”
Vintage ’07
Vintage ’11
_______________________________________ Guidalberto
Tenuta San Guido
Guidalberto, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot kissed with Sangiovese, is a preferred drinking wine by many Bordeaux-blend-loving consumers. While not as introspective as Sassicaia, Guidalberto nonetheless shares the pedigree, quality and elegance of Sassicaia. Dense, intense and vibrant, Guidalberto shimmers with bright red cherries and brambly blackberries, even as its tannins ripple like velvet. It’s a lovely operetta of a wine, strewn with roses, dusted with spice and blessed with a striking, attenuated finish.
Vintage ’02
Vintage ’12
Vintage ’13
Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido
Since the late 1960s, Sassicaia has represented a standard of production that is without compromise. The grapes are hand picked, destemmed, crushed and fermentation is set off by natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks. For the first week, pumping over of the must takes place three times daily; during the second week, this is reduced to once daily until the end of the 14-day fermentation period. The wine is pressed from the skins and undergoes full malolactic fermentation. Aging takes place in 225-litre Allier and Tronçais oak barriques, approximately 30 percent of which are new, for 18 to 22 months depending on vintage. Sassicaia is a unique interpretation of the Cabernet variety, a wine of great breadth, complexity and longevity. The intense blackberry and cassis aromas, offset by notes of smoke and spice, are confirmed on a palate of lush concentration underscored by firm, ripe tannins carrying into a long, elegant finish. Dark berry fruit and exotic spice scents fill the high-toned penetrating nose…smooth tannins frame the very long finish, leaving one with the impression of persistence and balance.
Vintage ’03
Vintage ’09
Vintage ’13
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Sammarco
Castello dei Rampolla
The 1998 Sammarco, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Sangiovese, reveals more structure and tannin than is present in the 1997, or, I suspect, the 1999. Additionally, it possesses formidable underlying concentration and depth, along with that multi-layered mid-palate that always seems to separate exceptional wines from good ones. The 1998 Sammarco’s deep, saturated ruby color is followed by a complex bouquet of charcoal, roasted herbs, smoke, hot gravel, black currants, and cherries. It is medium-bodied and deep, with high but sweet tannin, and extraordinary purity as well as delineation.
Vintage ’98
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Flaccianello
Fontodi
This stunning Chianti Classico has a truly fascinating nose whose range of aromas offers tertiary sensations at first, with leather and tabacco combining with complex fruitiness, lovely clean notes of plum and cherry in the lead. The palate is compact and harmonious, with very fine well-distributed tannic texture, balanced acidity and a finish offering full, long satisfaction.
Vintage ’16
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Le Serre Nuove DOC
Bolgheri
The 1999 vintage in Bolgheri was particularly remarkable. The Cabernet Sauvignons could reveal their full potential: density, structure and balance. Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 1999 today is the magnificent expression of a wine full of power and energy, as its secondary aromas wonderfully harmonize with the fruit of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot. Its freshness, its balance and its texture still leave several years of a beautiful development.
Vintage ’14
Guado al Tasso Superiore DOC
Bolgheri
The 2013 Guado al Tasso is a wine of great elegance and finesse, silkier and more vibrant than ever. In a cool vintage, one with a very long growing season, the Cabernet Sauvignon (50%) brought notes of aromatic herbs and mint along with crisp tannins which added length. The Merlot (27%) gave concentration and texture and ample sensation of plums and blackberries. The characterful Cabernet Franc (20%) contributed aromatic and flavor elegance, intensifying the finish an aftertaste with notes of liquorice and cassis. And, finally,the Petit Verdot(3%)combined very well with other varieties,underlining the wine spiciness.
Vintage ’20
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Tignanello
Marchesi Antinori
Very full ruby-garnet, dark and deep. Ample in aroma, with sweet cassis fruit, light accents of sage and rosemary, chocolate and roasted coffee from the oak, and some alcoholic warmth. Dense, round and velvety on the palate, with expanding flavors. Finishes with important tannic strength and impressive weight and force. The fusion of the sangiovese and cabernet components of this wine is more accomplished than in past vintages.
Vintage ’17
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Solaia
Marchesi Antinori
Intensely fruity and complex with a good structure, well-balanced, with soft tannins and a lingering finish. Displays unmistakable varietal flavor while retaining strong regional character.
Vintage ’19
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Ornellaia
Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia
The sun-filled, early-maturing 1994 vintage perfectly expresses the qualities of Ornellaia. The wine appears an intense, youthful ruby red. The nose offers rich fruit that is fully ripe yet at the same time crisp and lively, backgrounded by delicate nuances of balsam and toastiness. On the palate, the powerful concentration immediately impresses, as do the tannins, massive yet silk-smooth and glossy, which allows the wine to completely fill the mouth but with no feeling of heaviness. The finish, near endless, is deliciously pungent and spicy, with a welcome crispness throughout.
Vintage ’94
Vintage ’97
Vintage ’98
Vintage’99
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Massetto
Tenute Dell’ Ornellaia
The great 2000 vintage at Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia produced one of the most extraordinary vintage Masseto ever made. The wine is rich with profound depth. The aromas, which continue to evolve, remind us of the complexity of the grapes at harvest. The tannins are exceptionally rich and literally fill the palate indicating a magnificent aging potential. Made with 100% Merlot, saturated purple-black ruby, complex, intense nose of dark fruits, pepper and sage. There is uncommon richness on the palate expressive of stewed prunes, bitter-sweet chocolate and candied fruit, with palate-gripping tannins and a notable acid presence, it finishes very long, with a strong dose of minerality.
Vintage ’00
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Campaccio Riserva
Terrabianco
The nose offers notes of ripe red berry fruit, rain-soaked earth and gamey tones with a very intriguing smoky nuance. The palate is extraordinary, showing intense, full, yet graceful and charming, with the typical acidity and a long, concentrated finish that is enhanced by a hint of dried flowers.
Vintage ’96
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Excelsus
Castello Banfi
An extremely limited release produced in only favorable vintages, Excelsus is an extraordinary wine made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. Each varietal is macerated and fermented for 20-25 days; then aged separately in French oak barrique for one year. They are blended, and further matured in the bottle for an additional one to two years. Deep, opaque red, complex aroma of black berries, cherry, violets, but also aromas of tobacco, mint, leather; imposing structure of great personality with well-structured tannins that are still young. Long and persistent, tremendous aging potential.
Vintage ’15
Summus
Castello Banfi
Castello Banfi’s innovative spirit and winemaking expertise is demonstrated in all its wines, but none embodies these qualities as prominently as Summus. A wine of towering elegance, Summus is an extraordinary blend of Brunello di Montalcino which contributes body; Cabernet Sauvignon, fruit and structure; and Syrah, elegance, character and a fruity bouquet. Each wine is individually vinified and aged one year in French oak barrique to develop its unique style, then masterfully interwoven with the others to achieve a rare dimension of taste. Two years bottle-aging brings forth a fragrant bouquet of fruit, oak and spice. Summus is characterized by a rich color and lively dance of ripe soft-fruit flavors.
Vintage ’13
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Sammarco
Castello dei Rampolla
“85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Sangiovese, reveals a great structure and tannins. Additionally, it possesses formidable concentration and depth.. The 1998 Sammarco’s deep, saturated ruby color is followed by a complex bouquet of charcoal, roasted herbs, smoke, hot gravel, black currants, and cherries. It is medium-bodied and deep, with high but sweet tannin, and extraordinary purity as well as delineation.”
Vintage ’98
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